In addition to its conventional telephonic function, a cellular mobile telephone may be used to exchange information with a contactless external device by using a contactless communication protocol, for example the type A protocol defined in the ISO/IEC 14 443 standard.
This makes it possible to exchange information between the contactless external device, for example a reader, and a contactless component provided in the telephone. Numerous applications are thus possible, such as a toll barrier crossing in transport facilities (the mobile telephone acts as transport ticket) or else payment applications (the mobile telephone acts as a credit card).
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-distance high-frequency wireless communication technology, which allows exchanges of data between two contactless devices over a short distance, for example 10 cm. NFC technology is standardized in the documents ISO/IEC 18 092 and ISO/IEC 21 481 but incorporates a variety of pre-existing standards including the type A and type B protocols of the ISO/IEC 14 443 standard.
In view of the growth in the market for contactless applications, it is becoming particularly beneficial, when a wireless communication apparatus is used, for example a cellular mobile telephone, already equipped with a contactless component capable of communicating with an external contactless device, for example a reader, via an antenna, to be able to connect another contactless component to this same antenna. This would make it possible in particular to be able to clearly separate the applications stemming from various sources (banks, transport operators, telephone operators, etc.).